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Ten Ways To Use Coconut Oil

Well, I’m happy to admit that I’ve jumped on the coconut oil train, and I regret absolutely nothing.

There are so many things you can use it for; your skin, your hair, cooking – seriously, so many things. I won’t bore you all with a long list of perks, but I will share with you ten ways to use coconut oil, and why I think it’s more than just a phase.

1. Hair mask.Coconut oil is one of the most hydrating and moisturizing oils out there. If you have dry, burnt out, or damaged hair, take a spoonful of coconut oil and work it into the ends of your hair. You can choose to sleep in the mask overnight, or do as I do and just leave it in for a few hours. Wash it out by rinsing it out first, and then shampoo the remainder out. It may take an extra wash or two to get it all out, but your hair will feel unbelievably soft afterwards.

2. Moisturizer.
You can also use it to keep your skin and lips hydrated. After your nighttime routine, warm up a little bit of it on your hand, and then apply it to your skin. Don’t use too much, or you will leave oil residue on your pillow, but even just a pea sized amount will help smooth and hydrate your skin.

3. Tame frizzy hair.
Using less than a pea sized amount, the oil can help tame unruly tresses. Use it after a blow dry if your hair doesn’t want to cooperate; just run it through the ends, and watch it bow down to your fingertips.

4. Nail & cuticle care.
I have a bad case of dry, cracking cuticles in the winter. I’ve gotten into the habit of using just a bit of it on my cuticles throughout the day – I’ve recycled an old, tiny mason jar and turned it into a purse sized coconut oil container, and I pull it out whenever I need a little lip or cuticle moisturizing.

5. Makeup remover.
If you’re opposed to using harsh makeup wipes or enjoy a more natural approach, you can use coconut oil to remove makeup. Be sure you don’t get any into your eyes, though, because.. well.. just don’t do it.

6. Body & lip scrub.
Mixing some melted coconut oil with brown sugar or coffee grinds makes for an amazing scrub. The coffee grinds will help tone and brighten your skin; however, the brown sugar makes an amazing lip scrub and tastes just as delicious. If you use the brown sugar + coconut oil scrub, it does act as more of an exfoliant than the coffee grinds do, so just take caution when applying it to your skin.

7. Shaving oil.
If you run out of shaving cream, just use coconut oil – it’ll leave your legs extremely smooth, but be careful: the tub will become very slippery when you use it, so just be extra careful if you do use it.

8. Tattoo care.
As I just branded myself with new ink, the tattoo artist told me to use coconut oil to help keep my tattoo moisturized – and it makes perfect sense. The best part is that I don’t have to continuously apply lotion that gets sucked into my skin quickly; coconut oil is very hydrating, so I only apply it in the morning and at night. Because it’s all natural as well, it helps speed up the healing time, too!

9. Cooking.
This is kind of a no-brainer – substitute coconut oil for other cooking oils (canola, olive, sunflower, etc.) I make popcorn on the stove at least twice a week, and I’ve noticed that the coconut oil leaves a slight sweetness – drizzle a little bit more oil on the freshly popped popcorn and toss in some coconut shavings and a dusting of cocoa and you’ve got a delicious sweet treat – see the recipe here.

10. Baking.
Again, another no-brainer. Finding and creating new recipes with coconut oil has been really wicked, and because it’s a lot healthier for you than other oils, you don’t feel as guilty when you indulge. ;)

I really could go on and on, but I’ll stop here.

You really need to try it out for yourself to see how amazing it really is.